As this was my first 'house-show' I was curious to see the differences between this and a televised event. First off, there are no video screens and the stage from which the wrestlers enter the arena is very sparse, basically it's a giant black curtain with a small bit of scaffolding and a lighting rig, which is very different to the huge SmackDown! and RAW sets we're used to. Actually it reminded me of the old entrances before we had video screens with just music playing to introduce the wrestlers. Not that this is such a bad thing as it's the wrestlers we're here to see! With that in mind the first match of the evening got underway.
1. WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Matt Hardy (c) w/Shannon Moore def. Jamie Noble w/Nidia & Rey Mysterio via a 'Twist of Fate' on Noble to retain his title. After the match Mysterio gave a '619' to both Hardy and his no. 1 mf'er Moore, only to have Noble return to deliver a 'Sit-down Powerbomb' to Rey for which he received a chorus of boos from the crowd.
2. Rhyno def. A-Train via a 'Gore'. The Michigan native began the match by telling his hairy opponent to "Shave your back bitch!" which received a chorus of approval from the audience. The incensed A-Train proceeded to throw a chair into the ring, which started an "ECW!" chant from the crowd, however Rhyno merely took the fold up chair and sat on it! A-Train threw another chair into the fray and Rhyno ordered that the referee sit on it which got a huge laugh from the crowd! This did nothing to improve A-Train's mood and the two fought a fierce battle before Rhyno scored a hugely popular victory.
3. Sean O'Haire def. Brain 'Spanky' Kendrick with an impressive looking 'Reverse DVD' in a sloppy looking encounter, which at times made me wonder if the ring was wet as both wrestlers seemed to slip at some point during the match. None the less this was an intriguing 'David versus Goliath' confrontation that resulted in huge round of applause for the effort of the defeated 'Spanky'.
4. Torrie Wilson def. Nidia via a 'DDT' w/Sable as Special Ring Announcer. In this Diva match the hugely popular Torrie scored the victory only to have Sable blind-side her after the match. However Torrie did gain a measure of revenge after she pulled off Nidia's shorts to reveal a tiny gold thong! Torrie was also the 1st star of the evening to have pyro, and as no one had previously I wasn't expecting it at all and nearly had a heart attack!
5. WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) def. Big Show via the 'F-5'. Up next was the title match, which was surprising as I'd thought this would be saved for last. The 7ft 2 challenger entered 1st to his trademark pyro however this time it was expected so a further change of trouser was thankfully unnecessary. Next up was the hugely popular Champion who was cheered even more once he'd taken the microphone to inform Big Show that "You are one ugly Giant!" These two behemoths engaged in a brutal encounter before the champ was able to hoist the 500-pound monster onto his shoulders and deliver his finisher for the victory. After the match Brock thanked the crowd and posed for them much to their delight.
6. WWE Tag Team Championship: Team Angle (c) def. Los Guerreros via a 'Holding Team Superkick'. After a short 15-minute interval the tag titles were on the line as Chavo and Eddie battled Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin in an enthralling encounter that literally rocked the house! The defending champions entered with their gold belts but the Guerrero's had Kurt Angle's Olympic gold medals much to the chagrin of Team Angle. I lost count of all the 2 counts in this bout and thought the challengers would win the encounter on several occasions as the packed house were firmly behind them. However this was not to be as Haas & Benjamin found a way to retain their titles. But they could not find a way to keep their belts as Eddie & Chavo stole them and made a hasty escape along with the medals at the end of what was probably the bout of the evening.
7. John Cena def. Chris Benoit by holding the ropes during a roll up. Cena initially received a huge ovation from the crowd but this was short lived as he quickly started to insult all things British with one of his rap's, even Fish and Chip's! This put the audience firmly behind 'The Canadian Crippler' who took the microphone at the start of the bout to inform his opponent that it was he and not the young competitor from Massachusetts who was "the man!" After 'The Rabid Wolverine' had gone through his full repertoire of punishing German-suplexes, submission holds, and a flying head-butt, he applied 'The Crippler Crossface'. Unfortunately Cena was able to get to the ropes with his feet and soon scored the questionable victory. None the less it was Benoit who received a standing ovation from the capacity crowd.
8. Rikishi & Tajiri def. FBI w/Nunzio via a 'Rump Shaker'. In the final bout of the evening the team of Japan's Tajiri and Samoa's Rikishi were victorious over 'The Full-Blooded Italians' after close to two and a half-hours of action.
And so after my first 'house-show' I was on my way to the pub to contemplate the differences between this and the 'Pay-Per-Views' I had attended previously and also the first show I had seen since the 'brand extension'. First off there is a much more relaxed vibe to a house show, which is to be expected, as the performers don't have the pressure of performing to a world wide television audience. That said, it must still be daunting to be in front of such a huge crowd. London Arena, located in the heart of London's Docklands, is said to be able to hold up to 12,500 people. Although the crowd for this event would have had to have been less due to the area through which the wrestlers enter being cordoned off with a large black curtain, it would not have been much less and it was a full house. Basically I think it allows the wrestlers to ad-lib a little more, in the first match Matt Hardy interacted with the crowd much more than I've seen him do on TV. I also don't think we'd usually get to see Rhyno sit himself, and a referee, down on chairs in the centre of the ring. Admittedly Brock Lesnar may not have attempted to suplex Big Show as often as he might during a major televised match, but as that is a 500-pound weight I can hardly blame him for that. I don't think anyone at the WWE would be too happy if their Champion injured his back during a tour and was unable to compete at the next PPV, and seeing him perform the 'F-5' on Big Show was impressive enough. It also works both ways, as the performers must be less restricted in what they do during the matches in terms of timing and wrestling moves. They might feel more able to try moves they have yet to attempt on TV and when they make a mistake it is not the end of the world and it has not been recorded for all to see and embarrass them in weeks to come. At the end of the day you can't beat the spectacle of a major 'pay-per-view' for the glitz and glamour but a 'house-show' is still an extremely enjoyable and highly recommended experience that is just as good as a bigger event but in a different kind of way. Also I believe that the 'brand extension' is a good thing in terms of increased live performances as this event would not have taken place if it were not for the split between RAW and SmackDown! Admittedly this show did lack a few big name SmackDown! talents due to injuries, namely The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, and Edge, and I don't see why one or two RAW superstars couldn't have been sent to help bulk out this tours marquee name value. I think it would have given the crowd a real lift to hear 'Y2J's' music, or have Booker T, RVD or Kane make an appearance in some kind of inter-promotional match, as has been done before. I believe this would have been the case if this were a PPV and if not for the RAW tour of England in June, including the 'Insurrextion' PPV. It was also a little misleading that the WWE Championship was not the last bout of the evening, as one assumes the best is saved for last, once the title match had taken place I started to get wild ideas about a bigger star being in the main event. Especially with Hulk Hogan being part of the SmackDown! roster, even though common sense dictated that he would not have made the trip across the Ocean for a 'house-show'. None the less it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and one I would recommend to anyone.